Enhancing research communication: writing for non-academic stakeholders

One of the primary goals of research is to extend its impact beyond academia, influencing global policies, enhancing patient care, and contributing to public health. To amplify this impact, authors must be able to communicate research effectively to non-academic stakeholders.

Discover the strategies researchers can employ to master the art of communicating research effectively and convey their work to diverse audiences.

Clearly define the wider applications of your research

Articulating the broader significance of your research outside your field is important for effective research communication. Though challenging, understanding how your findings transcend academia and contribute to society is essential.

Ask yourself:

• What changes could my research bring about?
• Who stands to benefit from my research?
• What recommendations can I propose for effecting change?
• What evidence supports these recommendations?

Viewing these questions from the perspective of a non-specialist can assist in conveying your message to non-academics in an easily digestible manner.

Tailor your message to different audiences

Once you’ve identified the potential impact of your research, pinpointing your target audience(s) becomes paramount for efficient communication. Whether it’s policymakers, patient representatives, practitioners, the public, or journalists, each stakeholder group requires a tailored approach based on their unique terminology and level of technical comprehension.

When tailoring your message, think about what information you need to get across to your target audience. If you can reduce the amount to only include relevant information, it means that it will be easier for your audience to read. For example, what do policymakers need to know from your research to apply to their field?

Additionally, the way you communicate this information may be different to if you were discussing it with colleagues and other specialists. Try using analogies to communicate complex ideas in a simpler manner, or include real-world example which the reader may already be familiar with.

Write a plain language summary

To enhance accessibility, go beyond the Research Article and provide a Plain Language Summary (PLS) at the outset. Studies indicate that articles with a PLS have greater research accessibility and are therefore viewed significantly more than those without. A PLS should aim to communicate the outcomes of the research in a clear and concise manner, using appropriate language to convey the ideas clearly to a wider, non-specialist audience. This overview should include:

• The need for the research.
• The main questions studied.
• Key findings and their implications.
• Limitations of the evidence.
• Wider context and potential value for the field.

When putting together a PLS, you should seek feedback from non-specialists to ensure the PLS is easy to understand and conveys the messages you want. A PLS should be interesting, it should advocate for your work and accurately explain outcomes. For more information on writing a PLS, view our handy guide here.

Develop supplementary materials

In addition to PLS, authors can create supplementary materials relevant to their original research. These include Case Reports, Research Notes, and Open Letters, all of which can be used to support knowledge outreach. Supplementary materials offer additional opportunities to present information in an accessible, concise, and evidence-based manner, providing a more detailed summary than a PLS allows.

For example, health researchers may choose to publish an open letter relating to policies relevant to their research output. This provides authors with an opportunity to further discuss their work to a broader audience including policymaker and non-medical specialists.

For more information on other article types which may supplement your research, visit our article types page here.

Next steps: effective promotion

After writing and publishing your work, effective promotion can significantly increase the reach of your research. By sharing your work with your professional network on LinkedIn and X, you can showcase your discoveries to a wider audience. Here are a few tips to get the most out of your posts:

• Be sure to tag your colleagues. By tagging them, your post will show up not just to your followers, but also theirs!
• If your department or institution has its own social media accounts, be sure to mention them in your posts promoting your work to reach a wider audience across your institution.
• Tag your funder as they are also likely to share any research which they have been involved with, resulting in more people seeing your post.

In addition to social media promotion, you could also consider:

• Joining other academic research sharing networks such as ResearchGate or Google Scholar.
• Writing a blog post or press release for your institution to publish.
• Creating video or image abstracts to communicate your research visually.
• Present your findings at a conference. This allows your target audience to ask questions too, allowing you to address any missing information which may limit their understanding of the topic.

Publish your Wellcome-funded research

If you’re a Wellcome-funded researcher, consider publishing with Wellcome Open Research to benefit from various advantages, including:

• No author publishing charges.
• Open access, open data, and open peer review.
• Over 10 different article types.
• Article-level metrics and indexation in major databases like PubMed and Scopus.

Learn more and submit your research today.